Vacuum-cavity MEMS resonator
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsQing Ma, Peng Cheng, Valluri Rao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonator with a vacuum-cavity is fabricated using polysilicon-enabled release methods. A vacuum-cavity surrounding the MEMS beam is formed by removing release material that surrounds the beam and sealing the resulting cavity under vacuum by depositing a layer of nitride over the structure. The vacuum-cavity MEMS resonators have cantilever beams, bridge beams or breathing-bar beams.
Claims25
A method of forming a vacuum-cavity microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonator, comprising:
- forming a first beam base atop a first passivation layer covering a surface of a substrate;
- forming a beam fixed to the first beam base, the beam supported by a first layer of release material;
- forming first and second electrodes adjacent the beam but spaced apart therefrom by a second layer of release material connected to the first layer of release material;
- removing the first and second layers of release material to form a cavity in which the beam resides;
- and
- vacuum-sealing the cavity.
A method of forming a vacuum-cavity microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonator, comprising:
- forming a first electrode, a first beam base and a first second-electrode contact atop a passivation layer covering the surface of a substrate;
- forming a beam fixed to the first beam base at a first end of the beam, the beam spaced apart from the first electrode by a first release layer;
- forming a second electrode connected to the first second-electrode contact at a first end of the second electrode, including spacing apart the second electrode from the beam by a second release layer in contact with the first release layer;
- removing the first and second release layers to form a cavity in which the beam resides;
- and
- vacuum-sealing the cavity.
A method of forming a microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonator, comprising:
- forming a resonating beam separated from two electrodes by one or more release layers;
- removing the one or more release layers to form a cavity;
- and
- vacuum sealing the cavity.
A method of forming a vacuum-cavity microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonator, comprising:
- forming a beam atop a passivation layer, the beam having first and second opposite sides with respective sidewall spacers of release material formed thereon, the beam connected to the passivation layer by a central support member and a first release layer;
- forming first and second electrodes arranged adjacent the first and second opposite sides of the beam and spaced apart therefrom by the sidewall spacers;
- forming a polysilicon layer atop the beam and the first and second electrodes, including spacing apart the polysilicon layer from the beam with a second release layer;
- removing the first and second release layers and the sidewall spacers to form a contiguous cavity in which the beam resides;
- and
- vacuum-sealing the contiguous cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.